ERTH 460

SUBSURFACE AND PETROLEUM GEOLOGY

Spring 2016

Lecture Lab (topic indicated per

week)
Jan 20 Introduction; subsurface mapping Lease sale- take home
Jan 25 Petroleum chemistry & formation & source rocks Subsurface mapping
Jan 27 Petroleum chemistry & formation & source rocks
Feb 1 Petroleum chemistry & formation & source rocks Wells- terminology and
numbering
Feb 3 Wells
Feb 8 Expulsion and migration Wells- interpretation and
maps
Feb 10 Intro to reservoir rocks
Feb 15 Traps Wells-interpretation and
migration paths
Feb 17 Reservoir & Cap rocks
Feb 22 Sealing & Leaking faults Coal bed methane case
Feb 24 Geophysical Methods
Feb 29 Geophysical Methods Wells- formation fluids
Mar 2 Review for mid-term
Mar 7 Mid-term exam Volume calculation
Mar 9 Sedimentary basins intro
Mar 14 Spring Break
Mar 16 Spring Break
Mar 21 Tectonic subsidence Geophysics lab
Mar 23 Tectonic subsidence
Mar 28 Flexural Basins Petromod
Mar 30 Cratonic Basins
Apr 4 Pull-apart basins Petromod
Apr 6 Rift basins
Apr 11 Rift basins Petromod
Apr 13 Rifted margins
Apr 18 Sealevel and waterdepth variations Petromod
Apr 20 Heat flow in basins
Apr 25 Unconventional Lab review
Apr 27 Unconventional
May 2 Review for final Lab final (during normal lab)
May 4 Review for final
May 7-13 Final Exam
 MONDAY AND WEDNESDAY, 10:00-10:50 AM, PLUS LAB ONE AFTERNOON PER WEEK

Instructor: Jolante van Wijk

Office: MSEC 354
Phone: 575 835-6661
E-mail: [email protected]
TAs: Evan Gragg ([email protected]), Ahmad Malekpour ([email protected]), Tina Li ([email protected]),
and Jeff Dobbins ([email protected])

OFFICE HOURS: I have an open-door policy, but you can also always make an appointment

PRE-REQUISITES FOR THIS COURSE: ERTH101 and associated lab, and ERTH203

PLACE IN CURRICULUM: This is a core course for undergraduate students in Petroleum Engineering, and
an elective course for both undergraduate and graduate students.

COURSE OBJECTIVES: Material covered will focus on the petroleum system, from the formation of
kerogen to expulsion and migration into the reservoir rock. Topics include subsurface mapping,
geophysical exploration methods, chemistry of petroleum, reservoir and cap rocks, sedimentary basins
and basin analysis, temperature in basins, and unconventional systems.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: The learning outcomes of the Earth and Environmental Science program are
that students will be able to: (1) Understand and apply the facts and concepts central to Earth science
(e.g., geological processes and materials, Earth history, application of quantitative physics and chemistry
to earth processes). (2) Demonstrate a working knowledge of the skills and methods necessary to
collect, analyze and report data relevant to the discipline (e.g., rock identification, field mapping,
geophysical methods). (3) Conceptualize, abstract and solve both qualitative and quantitative problems
in the discipline. (4) Integrate and synthesize disparate geoscientific information into a coherent
understanding. All four of these learning outcomes will be addressed in this class with content focused
principally on the petroleum system.

PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES: The learning outcomes of the Earth and Environmental Science
program are that students will be able to: (1) Understand and apply the facts and concepts central to
Earth science (e.g., geological processes and materials, Earth history, application of quantitative physics
and chemistry to earth processes). (2) Demonstrate a working knowledge of the skills and methods
necessary to collect, analyze and report data relevant to the discipline (e.g., rock identification, field
mapping, geophysical methods). (3) Conceptualize, abstract and solve both qualitative and quantitative
problems in the discipline. (4) Integrate and synthesize disparate geoscientific information into a
coherent understanding. All four of these learning outcomes will be addressed in this class with content
focused principally on geological processes and materials that occur in Earth's crust.

COURSE TEXTBOOKS:
Textbook: Elements of Petroleum Geology, 3rd edition, Selley and Sonnenberg
Textbook: Basin analysis, 3rd edition, Allen and Allen
ATTENDANCE, CELLPHONE USE, ETC:
Attendance is expected for lectures and labs. Please inform the instructor if you cannot attend a lecture
or lab due to illness or other emergency situation. Please be on time. More information on lab
attendance is found below.

Cell phones should be either turned off or set on vibrate.

It is strongly recommended that students work together in the labs; however, the assignments that you
turn in SHOULD BE YOUR OWN WORK.

EXAMS: All exams will be closed book. The final will be comprehensive, but will emphasize material
from part 2 (material after the mid-term). Exam questions will be mainly short answer with a few
multiple choice or fill-in-the-blank. Bring a pencil you may have to make some small sketches. The
exams will cover material discussed in the lectures and labs. The lab exam covers the lab material.

LABS: You need to stay in the lab that you signed up for (for example, if you signed up for the Tuesday
lab, do not attend labs on Wednesday or any other day). We need to enforce this rule because all labs
are completely full, and we have a limited number of software licenses and TAs. If you cannot be at a lab
because of an emergency, school conflict, or illness, you need a written note form the NMT disability
services, NMT health provider, your advisor or department chair, or your doctor, and contact the
instructor (not the TA). We will then accommodate you. Without such a note, you will not be able to
make up a lab.

A new lab-assignment will be handed out at the start of each lab, at 2 pm. These assignments
should be finished and handed in to the TAs before you leave the lab at the end of the afternoon. You
may not leave the classroom with an assignment, and assignments can never be handed in late.

The assignments are graded to help you understand the material covered. They will count towards your
final grade! More importantly, they are practice for your lab exam.

POLICY ON ACADEMIC HONESTY

Academic honesty is taken very seriously. Academic dishonesty will result in a failing grade in
this course. Students in ERTH 460 are expected to do their own work on all assignments and exams. If
you copy answers from another student, are caught with a crib sheet, plagiarize material from any
source (e.g., another student or the internet), or in any more creative way attempt to cheat on an exam
or other assignment you will immediately be given a failing grade (F) for the course. Such infractions will
be reported to the Dean of Students, as required by NMT policy, and may be reflected on your final
transcript. Students are encouraged to work with others on assignments, in order to foster better
learning. However, the work turned in must be your own (e.g., written in your own words; maps drawn
independently, not copied from someone elses map). If you are unclear about this please consult with
me. Teaching Assistants will immediately report any perceived cheating to me, but will not be involved
in resolution of academic dishonesty issues beyond documenting the infraction(s).
COUNSELING AND DISABILITY SERVICES:

Reasonable Accommodations
New Mexico Tech is committed to protecting the rights of individuals with disabilities. Qualified
individuals who require reasonable accommodations are invited to make their needs known to the
Office of Counseling and Disability Services (OCDS) as soon as possible. To schedule an appointment,
please call 835-6619.

Counseling Services
New Mexico Tech offers mental health and substance abuse counseling through the Office of Counseling
and Disability Services. The confidential services are provided free of charge by licensed professionals.
To schedule an appointment, please call 835-6619.

ACADEMIC HONESTY: New Mexico Techs Academic Honesty Policy for undergraduate students is
found starting on page 60 of the NMT Undergraduate Catalog,
http://www.nmt.edu/images/stories/registrar/2014-2015_UNDERGRADUATE_Catalog_FINAL.pdf

New Mexico Techs Academic Honesty Policy for graduate students is found starting on page 59 of
the NMT Graduate Catalog, http://www.nmt.edu/images/stories/registrar/2014-
2015_GRADUATE_Catalog_FINAL.pdf.

You are responsible for knowing, understanding, and following this policy.

RESPECT STATEMENT: New Mexico Tech supports freedom of expression within the parameters of a
respectful learning environment. As stated in the New Mexico Tech Guide to Conduct and Citizenship:
New Mexico Techs primary purpose is education, which includes teaching, research, discussion,
learning, and service. An atmosphere of free and open inquiry is essential to the pursuit of education.
Tech seeks to protect academic freedom and build on individual responsibility to create and maintain an
academic atmosphere that is a purposeful, just, open, disciplined, and caring community.

GRADING:

Midterm exam 30% (on part 1)

Final exam 35% (mainly part 2, less emphasis on part 1)

Lab exam 25% (covers entire semester)

Graded labs 10%